Taking a breath...

Hi!

This is my first post at YAtopia, and I sort of wanted to introduce myself.

I'm K.T. Hanna. I write mostly science fiction, but also some fantasy and horror. And I always write what I want to read, because I'm just not that good at writing for a market. By day I'm a mom to a toddler, and a wife to an awesome husband - as well as a freelance editor. I'm also an intern at a NYC Agency in my copious amounts of spare time. I live on twitter, and sometimes Facebook.

I'm also a huge Buffy, Supernatural, Labyrinth, and Star Trek fan. Just a warning for future references.

I plan to do a series of blog posts here - perhaps on (self-)editing? Or fast drafting? Or even plotting in great detail... I'm open to suggestions of what people might want to see. Writing is a massive chunk of my life, and one I can't live without.

On August 4th this year, 2015, my debut will be released by... me.

And this is where I take a breath.

Because it's overwhelming - all of this self publishing stuff. When you choose to do it, you take on the role of writer, publisher, and marketer. The amount of work involved in every level from writing, editing, re-editing, editing again... through to cover design, blurbs, reviews, street teams, launch dates...

It's all so much. If we're not careful, we can get lost in the sheer magnitude of things that are not writing.

I don't believe anyone who, like me, has been chasing the traditional publishing dream takes it on lightly at all. Because self publishing your book leaves everything in your hands. It doesn't mean you've given up on your dream, but sometimes you just have to breathe and realize - a story is a story.

So, I'm here to say, that no matter where you are in your publishing journey. If you've finished a first novel, are hard at editing for the fiftieth time, are querying, or even on sub - always remember it's important to take a step back and ask yourself why you do what you do.

For me? I want to tell stories, and so that's what I'll keep doing.

And I won't forget to breathe.